Paper dispenser

ABSTRACT

A dispenser primarily designed for feeding and severing paper, plastic and aluminum-foil sheets comprising a cabinet having a pivoted, front wall which when closed forms an elongated passage through which a roll of sheet material is fed. A cutting element is supported in the elongated passage of the front wall. An internal mechanism upon actuation feeds the sheet material through the passage to a desired length. The sheet material is then automatically severed by a cutting element which traverses the passage with the sheet material being lightly held at one end within the passage for subsequent removal by the operator.

United States Patent 1191 Hoffman 1 Nov. 18, 1975 1 1 PAPER DISPENSER2,348,355 5/1944 Miller 226/5 x 1 1 Inventor: P4119- Hofiman, 11Englewood 53333383 1311322? 122828'8811'11: IIIIII 231121? Ave,Brookline, Mass- 02146 2,531,149 11/1950 Melchor 83/455 2,704,546 3/1955Rosaver 83/241 X [22] June 1971 2,823,969 2/1958 Traver 83/649 x [21]Appl. No.: 148,928 3,160,047 12/1964 Malloy et a1 83/241 X 3,177,7464/1961 Langer 83/422 X Related Appllcatlfln Data 3,411,391 11/1968Drubner 83/242 [63] Continuation of Ser. No. 728,106, May 9, 1968,

abandoned, which is a continuation'in-part of Ser. FOREIGN PATENTS ORAPPLICATIONS 533 09 March 30 19 abandoned, 564,056 11/1932 Germany83/485 52 us. c1. 83/205; 83/241; 83/282; P y E-wminerl Meister 83/614;83/649 [57] ABSTRACT [51] Int. Cl? B26D 7/02 A 1 d d f f d a d s [58]Field of Search 83/203, 205, 282, 455, ing 3 53 5 5 2? fifififi jif fifg fiifi 83/456, 614, 649, 650, 587, 58-6, 382, 389, a cabinet having apivoted, front wall which when 563; 226/ 5 closed forms an elongatedpassage through which a roll of sheet material is fed. A cutting elementis sup- [56] References Cted ported in the elongated passage of thefront wall. An

UNITED STATES PATENTS internal mechanism upon actuation feeds the sheet485,491 1 1/1892 Denton 83/455 material through the Passage to a desiredlength- The 1,039,167 9/1912 sheet material is then automaticallysevered by a cut- 1,565,52O 12/1925 ting element which traverses thepassage with the g; s 83/484 X sheet material being lightly held at oneend within the an een 1,991,698 2/ 1935 Powers 83/650 X passage forSubsequent removal by the Operator. 2,137,489 1 H1938 Harvey 83/147 25Claims, 14 Drawing Figures 2,252,086 8/1941 McCarthy 83/455 X i 92 7 I Il I l I I J I 93 1 49 f/ 55 g 4 13 4s ll 2 98 99 95 l l l 1 12 g 3 Sheet1 of 7 Nov. 18, 1975 US. Patfint US. Patent Nov. 18, 1975 Sheet 2 of73,919,905

US. Patent Nov. 18, 1975 Sheet 3 of7 3,919,905

Fig. 5

U.S. Patent Nov. 18, 1975 Sheet4 of7 3,919,905

U.S. Patfint Nov. 18, 1975 Sheet60f7 3,919,905

US. Patent Nov. 18, 1975 Sheet70f7 3,919,905

%\ KM K m/z/z/vroe -MW PAPER nrsrrnsnn This application is acontinuation of application Ser.

No. 728,106, filed May 9, 1968 now abandoned, which in turn is acontinuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 538,809, filed Mar. 30,1966, now abandoned.

SUBJECT MATTER OF THE INVENTION BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION It is anobject of this invention to provide an attractive, relativelyinexpensive compact dispenser for rolls of sheet material. It is also anobject of the present invention to provide a compact dispenser fordispensing and cutting from a roll sheet material such as plasticsheets, paper, aluminum foil and other like materials. It is also anobject of the present invention to provide a relatively inexpensivecompact dispenser that is adapted for use in a household, restaurant orother commercial establishment where it is desirable to dispense and cutsheet material from a roll. A further object of this invention is toprovide a dispenser for a roll of sheet material which is easy tooperate and which will on actuation cause seleccted segments of a rollof sheet material to be ejected from the dispenser and automaticallysevered. A further object of this invention is to provide a dispenserwhich may be interchangeably used with paper towels, plastic sheetmaterial, aluminum foil or other material which is easy to maintain,refill and actuate and which is relatively inexpensive to manufactureand maintain.

SUY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a dispenser forfeeding and severing segments of sheets from a roll of sheet materialsuch as plastic rolls'or paper or the like comprising a cabinet havingwalls defining an elongated passage through which the leading edge ofthe roll is fed. Means are provided for automatically feeding theleading edge of the roll forwardly through the elongated passage and forcutting the leading end of the roll when a desired segment has beenejected from the dispenser.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS tially along the line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a cross sectionalend view taken substantially along the line4-4 of FIG. I but with the front wall in an open position;

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view taken substantially along the line 5-5of FIG. ll;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary view taken substantially along the line 6--6 ofFIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view of a modification showing a preferredembodiment of the invention with the cross section taken along line 7-7of FIG. 10;

FIG. 8 is a cross sectional view taken substantially along the line 88of FIG. 10;

FIG. 9 is a cross sectional view taken substantially along the line 9-9of FIG. 10;

FIG. 10 is a front fragmentary elevational view of a modification of apreferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 11 is an enlarged elevational fragmentary detail ,of the inventionillustrated in the embodiment of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is an elevational detail of certain components of the embodimentillustrated in FIG. 10;

FIG. 12A is a cross sectional view taken substantially along the lineI2A-12A of FIG. 12; and

FIG. 13 is a schematic of the electrical circuitry used in conjunctionwith the embodiment of FIG. 10.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In the embodiment of theinvention illustrated there is provided a dispenser having a cabinet 1formed with integral top, bottom and rear walls 2, 3 and 4 respectively.If desired these walls may be formed of a single extruded piece. Theends of the cabinet are closed with end walls 5 and the forward portionof the cabinet is closed by a hinged front wall or cover 6. The forwardedge of the top wall 2 is flared arcuately downward in a depending lip 7having a channel member 8 integrally formed at its lower edge and opendownwardly. The channel member 8 and depending lip 7 extend preferablythe length of the cabinet. The bottom wall 3 has an upwardly flared lip9 terminating in an elongated bead 10 with the bead I0 shaped to form apivoting joint engaged by a corresponding recess 11 in the lower end ofthe hinged front wall 6. The hinged front wall 6 is thus able to pivotabout the bead 10 with the lower edge 12 of the front wall 6 adapted toengage the forward surface of the lip 9 to limit the pivoting movementof the front wall 6. The front wall 6 may be formed with any suitabledecorative surface, such as a surface having concavities 13. The upperedge 14 of the front wall 6 is spaced from the channel member 8 and isprovided with a longitudinally downwardly extending channel 16 which isaligned with the upwardly extending channel member 8. An elongated slotor passage 17 is formed between the upper edge 14 of the front wall orcover 6 and the depending lip 7. This passage 17 is normally closed byan adjustable guide bar 18 which is positioned within the downwardlyextending channel 16. This guide bar 18 is illustrated as open or downin FIG. 3, closed or up in Hg. 5 and is omitted in FIG. 4 for clarityand completeness of illustration. It should be noted, however, thatguide bar 18 would not ordinarily be closed with the handle 52 in itsfull down position, as illustrated in FIG. 5. The guide bar comprises aU- shaped member having side walls 19 and 20 and a bight portion 2 I.The lower edges of the side walls 19 and 20 are provided withlongitudinally extending, outwardly projecting bosses or shoulders 23which ride in the downwardly extending. channel 16 and limit upwardmovement of the guide bar 18 by engagement with the inwardly extendingshoulders 24 formed at the upper edge of the downwardly extendingchannel 16. The

3 upper edges of the side walls 19 and 20 are provided with laterallyextending flanges 26 that constrict the opening of the channel formed bythe side walls of the guide bar 18. These flanges 26 form lower grippingsurface over which the sheet material being dispensed passes. Preferablyat least two spaced helical springs 27 are positioned within channel 16and exert upward tension on the guide bar 18 normally tensioning thisguide bar into a position in which the slot or passage 17 is closed. Inits closed position the upper surfaces of the flanges 26 normally engageor are in close adjacency to an upper guide member 28. The flange 26projects forwardly beyond the front surface of wall 6 so as to be easilygrasped by ones fingers. This upper guide member 28 comprises aninverted U-shaped channel prefer- I ably formed of rubber positioned inand secured to the channel member 8. The channel opening in member 28and in guide bar 18 are aligned when the front wall 6 is closed.

A cutting element 29 (FIG. 1) is positioned in the guide bar 18 forlongitudinal movement between the side walls 19 and 20. This cuttingelement may comprise a supporting block 30 formed of a low frictionmaterial such as Teflon adapted to slide longitudinally between the sidewall 19 and 20. A cutting element such as a razor blade 31 is positionedin the block 30 with the cutting edge of the blade extending angularlyupward to the left as viewed in FIG. 1.

If desired the cutting edge 31 may comprise a wheel with a razor sharpperipheral edge with the wheel axially supported by a suitable journalmeans within the block 30 and with a portion of this cutting wheelprojecting upwardly to the same extent as the cutting edge illustratedin FIG. 1. Such a wheel like cutting edge is particularlyuseful forcutting material such as aluminum foil, wax paper and plastic wrapmaterial. Also positioned within the. channel formed by. the side walls19 and 20 are pulleys 32 and 33. These pulleys are suitably joumaled onpins which extend between and are secured in the side walls 19 and 20.These pulleys 32 and 33 support lines or wires--34 and 35., The wire 34extends over pulley 32 with one end "connected to block 30 and the otherend is connected to one end of the helical spring 36 which in turnextends over pulleys 38 and 39. The other end 40 of spring 36 isconnected to a pin in turn fixed to the front wall 6. Pulleys 38 and 39are joumaled for rotation within a lower front wall channel 41 (FIG. 4)formed in the front wall and having an opening 42 extending through therear surface of the front wall 6. The pulleys 38 and 39 are suitablyjournaled within the channel 41 by pins 'or other suitable supportmeans. The other line or wire is connected at one end to the block 30and extends over pulley 33 and is connected at its other end to largepulley 43. Large pulley 43 is also joumaled in channel 41 at its rightend as viewed in FIG. 1 by a suitable pin which is joumaled withinappropriate recesses in the front wall. A pulley 44 is fixed to the samepin to which pulley 43 is fixed so that these two pulleys rotatetogether. A second wire or line 45 has one end secured to the pulley 44.The wire 45 extends over pulley 46, pulley 47, pulley 48 and is anchoredat its other end to bracket 49 by pin 50. The bracket 49 is L-shapedwith one leg riveted by rivet 51 to the rear surface of front walal 6(FIG. 2). Pulley 46 is suitably joumaled to this leg while pulley 47 issuitably joumaled to the other leg. Pulley 46 is parallel with thepulley 44 and is tangentially aligned with pulley 47. Pulley 48 issecured to lever 52. Lever 52 in turn is secured at one end on a pin 53to the right end wall 5 as viewed in FIG. 1 close to the rear wall 4 andspaced from the bottom wall 3. The other end of the lever extendsforwardly through a vertically extending slot 54 formed between theright edge of front wall 6 and the inner edge of the right hand end wall5. A sufficient length of lever 52 should project so as to enable anoperator to grasp the lever outside of the casing. The slot 54 shouldextend the vertical length of the casing so as to permit pivotablemovement of the lever the length of this casing. The pulley 48 ispreferably formed intermediate the ends of the lever 52. The lever 52 isnormally tensioned upwardly by a helical spring 55 which is engaged atone end to the lever adjacent pivot point 53 and at the other end to theright hand end wall 5 as viewed in FIG. 1. v

Also secured to the rear of the front wall 6 are the roll supportingbrackets 55 and 56 (FIG. 2). Each of these comprises an L-shaped memberwith one leg 57 and 58 respectively of each suitably secured by rivetsor other means to the rear surface of the front wall 6. The other legs59 and 60 extend parallel to one another in spaced relationship. Axiallysupported on each of legs 59 and 60 are spindle supports 61 and 62.These spindle supports are adapted to engage and support for rotation aroll of sheet material 63 having a cylindrical core. The spindlesupports 61 and 62 each preferably comprise a frustroconic section 64joumaled for rotation on a pin 65. The pins 65 are are in turn supportedon the legs 59 and 60. Helical springs 66 coaxial with the pins 65normally tension the frustroconic section 64 inwardly into firmengagement with the core of the roll of sheet material 63.

Also supported on brackets 55 and 56 is a lower pressure roll 67 (FIG.4). This roll 67 is joumaled in a loose fitting slot with the roll 67spring tensioned upwardly at its ends toward a drive roll 68 by a leafsprings 69 (FIG. 4). Leaf springs 69 are secured at one end by pine 70to each of the brackets 55 and 56 with the otherend of each leaf springengaging the shaft of roll 67.Drive roll 68 is suitably supported at oneend (the left end as viewed in FIGS. 1 and 2) in a motor support bracket71 (FIG. 6) and the other is suitably joumaled onthe right hand end wall5. The motor support bracket 71 may be formed with three parallel offsetsegments 72, 73 and 74. Segment 72 is connected to segment 73 byahorizontally extending web 75 while segments 73 and 74 areinterconnected at the rear of the casing by vertically extending web 76.Roll 68 is supported on the shaft 77 which is joumaled for rotation withthe roll 68 in segment 73 where it is secured by suitable means 78. Amotor 79 is connected to thedrive roll 68 for rotation of the drive rollby a gear train generally illustrated at 81. The gear train includesgears 82,83, 84, and- 86 with gear 82 connected to the drive shaft 87 ofthemotor and interengaging gear 86 keyed to shaft 77 through the piniongears 83, 84 and idler gear 85. The gears 83, 84 and 85 are suitablyjoumaled and supported on segment 74 with the motor 79 also beingsupported on this segment. The motor is preferably battery operated withthe battery 90 supported in a bracket 91 in turn secured to the rearwall 4 to the right (as viewed in FIG. 1) of the motor 79. The bracket91 may comprise a conventional battery bracket having arms 92 and 93adapted to engage in spring tension contact the side wall of the batteryor batteries 90. Positive and negative terminals of the battery may becontacted by end elements such as indicated at 94 in Fig. 5. The batteryis suitably wired to the motor in a conventional fashion and is alsowired to a switch 95. Switch 95 is secured by suitable insulating meansand a bracket 97 to the right hand end wall 5 as viewed in FIG. 1. The

feeler or contact 98 of the switch 97 is adapted to be engaged by thelower edge of lever 52 in its extreme downward position so as to closeswitch contacts 99 and thereby complete an electrical circuit throughthe battery and motor.

In the operation of this device the lever 52 is normally in an upposition. In addition the wire 45 is normally wound about the pulley 44and the cutting element 29 is normally positioned at the left hand endof slot 17 as viewed in FIG. 1. In addition helical spring 36 iscontracted.

When the lever 52 is moved downwardly wire 45 is unwound from the pulley44 thereby causing the pulley 43 to rotate in a clockwise direction asviewed in Flg. 1. This is turn causes the wire 35 to wind up aboutpulley 43 pulling the block 29 to the right. Movement of the block 29 tothe right is against the tension of helical spring 36. By the time theblock 29 has reached the right hand end of passage 17 the lever 52 is inits lowermost position as illustrated in FIG. 5. At this point the lever52 closes switch 95 and causes the motor 79 to turn on. Actuation of themotor 79 in turn causes rotation of the drive roll 69 through the geartrain 81. Rotation of the drive roll 68 in turn feeds the leading edgeof the sheet material from the roll 63 which leading edge has previouslybeen positioned between the drive roll 68 and the lower pressure roll67. This rotation feeds the leading edge of the sheet material throughthe passage 17 which passage has been opened sufficiently from anormally closed position to pass the paper. The slot is open because theincreased tension of helical spring 36 on moving the block 29 to theright overcomes the upward tension of springs 27 on the adjustable guidebar 18. When a sufficient amount of sheet material has been fed throughthe passage 17 the operator releases tension on the lever 52. The levermoves upwardly under tension of spring 55 thereby disengaging the lever52 with the switch 95 and causing the motor to turn off. This in turnstops rotation of the pressure roll 68 and consequent feed of the sheetmaterial. As the lever 52 moves upwardly blade 29 moves to the left asviewed in FIG. 1 and wire 45 is rewound about pulley 44 because spring36 exerts sufficient tension through line 34 on the block 29 and line 35to cause a counterclockwise rotation of pulley 43. As the block 29 movesto the left tension on spring 36 is reduced a sufficient amount topermit the tension of springs 27 to move the guide bar 18 upwardly so asto clamp the sheet material between the guide bar flange 26 and theguide member 28. At the same time the cutting edge 31 transverses theguide bar and engages the portion of the sheet material which liesbetween the flange 26 and the guide member 28 thereby severing theleading edge of the sheet material from the main portion of the roll 63.The severed portion of the sheet material however is maintained in thedispenser by the slight pressure on the trailing edge of this leadingand severed segment between the laterally extending flange 26 and theguide member 28.

If desired lever 52 and its associate mechanism including line 45,pulleys 46 and 47,.and the pulley portion of pin 44 may be eliminated.In this modification a longitudinal slot in the front wall 6 is providedparallel to passage 17. This longitudinal slot extends through and opensinto downwardly extending channel 16. A pin or projection extendsthrough this slot and is integrally connected with the block 30. In thisfashion the operator may manually move the block 30 to the left orright. The switch in this arrangement is relocated so that it engagesthe block 30 on movement to the extreme right hand position as viewed inFIG. 1 of the block 30. Thus in this modified arrangement the operatormay move the block 30 to the right to actuate the motor and causefeeding of the sheet material and then manually move the block to theleft to cause the motor to turn off and thereby discontinue feed of thesheet material and at the same time manually cut the leading edge of thesheet material. Also contemplated is a cutting element 31 in the form ofa shear extending lengthwise of front wall 6 with the shear pivoted atone end of the wall 6 and with the other end engaged by a link to lever52. When lever 52 is moved upwardly the cutting edge of the shear movesacross the passage 17 close to the wall 6 so as to shear any paperpositioned in the passage.

Referring now to the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 7 to 13 inclusivethere is illustrated a dispenser and cutter which operate from powersources preferably from two separate battery operated motors. In thispreferred embodiment there is provided a cabinet 101 formed withintegral top, bottom and rear walls 102, 103 and 104 respectively. Ifdesired these walls may be formed of a single extruded piece ofaluminum. The aluminum is preferably anodized particularly in thoseportions over which the sheet material may pass. If has been found thatby anodizing aluminum and rendering it nonconductive, the staticelectricity of plastic sheet material such as Saran Wrap is minimized oreliminated and that a consequence it is easier to pass the plastic sheetfrom the dispenser.

The ends of the cabinet are closed with end walls 105. The forwardportion of the cabinet is closed by hinged front wall or cover 106. Theforward edge of the top wall 102 is flared arcuately downwardly in adepending lip 107 having a channel member 108 integrally formed in itslower edge and opened downwardly. The channel member 108 and dependinglip 107 extend preferably the length of the dispenser or cabinet. Thebottom wall 103 has an upwardly flared lip 109 terminating in anelongated bead 110 with the bead 110 shaped to form a pivoting jointengaged by a corresponding recess 111 in the lower end of the hingedfront wall 106. The hinged front wall 106 is thus able to pivot aboutthe bead 110 with the lower edge 112 of the front wall 106 adapted toengage the forward surface of lip 109 to limit the pivoting movement ofthe front wall 106. The bead 110 may be shaped in cross section as asegmented cylinder, as illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8 thus providing abead of greater outer diameter than a solid bead. It has been found thatby providing a bead of greater diameter, as is illustrated by acomparison of bead 110 with the bead 10, that there is less likelihoodof the front wall or cover 106 binding. The front wall 106 may be formedwith any suitable decorative surface such as a surface havingconcavities 113. The upper edge 1 14 of the front wall 106 is spacedfrom the channel member 108 and is provided with a longitudinallydownwardly extending channel 116 which is aligned with the upwardlyextending channel member 108. An elongated slot or passage 117 is formedbetween the upper edge 114 of the front wall or cover 106 and thedepending lip 107, (FIG. 7). This passage 117 is normally closed by anadjustable guide bar 118 which is positioned within the downwardlyextending channel 116. This guide bar 118 carries a cutting mechanismand is designed as part of the mechanism for retaining the trailing edgeof the severed segment of sheet material. The guide bar 113 will befurther described hereafter in connection with the cutting mechanism.

The roll of sheet material contained within the dispenser is illustratedat 1211 in dotted outline. This sheet material may comprise aluminumfoil, plastic material such as Saran Wrap, paper, wax paper or likematerial. The roll 12th is retained loosely on the bottom wall 103between two end plates 121 and 122 shown respectively in FIGS. 7 and 8.These end plates each have vertical walls 121A and 122A respectively andintegrally formed horizontally extending walls at the bottom 121B and1223 respectively. The horizontal walls 1211i and 12213 are secured inopposed channels integrally formed on the inner surface of the bottomwall 1113 so scribed in greater detail hereafter. These rubber ringsthat the end plates 121 and 122 may be removed closer or farther apartdepending upon the length of the roll being dispensed. A pin 123 mayproject from one plate 121 or 122 inwardly toward the other plate from aposition centrally located on the inner surface of one of the verticallyextending walls 121A or 12211. This pin 123 may have a length ofapproximately 1 to 2 inches. The pin 123 is used to retain the roll ofsheet material within the dispenser by engaging the core of the roll.The end plates 121 and 122 may be suitably secured against lon gitudinalmovement in the opposed channels on the bottom wall 1113 by suitablemeans including, for example, a suitable cement.

End brackets 125 (FIG. 7) and 126 (FIG. 8) are secured at opposite endsof the dispenser adjacent to the end walls 105. These end brackets maybe similar in construction for convenience in manufacture and mayconsist of a vertically extending end plate 125A and 126A and ahorizontally extending plate 1253 and 1263. The horizontally extendingplates 1253 and 1263 are suitably and permanently secured in the topwall 1112 by interengagement of the side edges of the horizontallyextending plates 12518 and 1263 with the aligned channels M21 and 111213integrally formed in the top wall 1112.

End bracket 125 supports motor 127, shown in dotted outline in FIG. 7,with the motor extending inwardly from the inner surface of the verticalplate 125A. The shaft 128 of the motor extends through the plate 125Atoward end wall 105 and has a gear 129 keyed to it. Gear 129 forms apart of the gear train that also includes gears 1311, 1311A, 131 and132. Each of these gears is supported for rotation on shafts extendingfrom the outer surface of the plate 125A. Gears 13 11 and 1311A arekeyed to the same shaft 133 with gear 131) meshing with gear 129 andwith gear 1311A meshing with gear 131. Gear 131 in turn meshes with gear132. Gear 132 is keyed to shaft13 l of the roller 135 (H6. 8). Roller135 extends the length of the dispenser and has its other end suitablyjournaled in the end bracket 126. Suitable locking collars or mechanismsare provided to secure the roller 135 against axial movement whilepermitting rotational movement through the gear train previouslydescribed. The roller 125 carries a series of rubber rings 136 which arepreferably spaced approximately 2 apart along the length of the roller135. These rings 136 have an outer diameter such as to bear againstroller 137 which will be de- 136 are preferably approximately at least/2 inch in axial length, however, conventional O-rings of resilientplastic or rubber may alsobeused.

A pluralityof stripper fingers 137 is secured tothe upper wall 102 andextends around the rear under and forwardly of roll 135. These stripperfingers 137 are preferably spaced apart approximately l/z to inch alongthe length of the roll and function to secure the rings 136 againstlateral movement and, in addition, function to strip the roll ofmaterial being fed from the dispenser from the roll 135. in dispensingplastic material such as Saran Wrap these stripper fingers 137 are quiteimportant because such plastic material has a tendency to cling to theroll unless positively stripped from it by the fingers 137. Thesefingers 137, which are also illustrated in FIG. 11, may be formed of aninjection molded material such as nylon. The fingers have a honizontally extending head 137A. The sides of the heads 137A are securedbetween opposed channels W2C and 102D formed in the upper wall 1112.Extending downwardly from the head 13711- is a shank 1.3711 whicharcuately curves behind and under roll The free end ofthe shank 137Bextends forwardly toward the front wall 1116 with the end angledupwardly to form an upwardly extending lip 137C The lip 1371C lies closeto the rear edge of channel member 193, as illustrated in FlG. 7. Thefree end of the shank 137% resiliently and lightly engages the rearupper portion of the guide bar 118 and 1371*), as illustrated in FlG. 3,when the guide bar is in its uppermost position.

The lower roller 137' preferably is formed with a re silient knurled orgrooved cover 1373.. The roller 137 is coextensive with roll 135 and isdesigned to function as a bearing surface for the rings 136 when roller135 is driven by the motor 127. Roller 137' is supported a 't ends bybrackets 14111 at each end. These brackets are similar in shape andconstruction. The bracket which supports the right end of the roller 137as viewed from the front of the machine is illustrated in FIG. 8. Theother bracket which is similar in shape and construction and whichsupports the left end of the roller 137 is not shown. The se brackets 1111 are each provided with a rearwardly extending plate 14%;). extendsrearwardly from the forward wall 1&6 and a laterally extending plate1411B. Laterally extending plate 14-113 is secured tothe parallel wall116A integral with the forward wall 106 that defines channel 116. Thepar allel wall 1 16A is connected to the forward wall 1116 by a bightportion 1163. The lateral plate 141111 is secured between opposedchannels 116C and 116D integrally formed on the rear of the parallelwall 116A. The roller 137 has an axle 1378 which is secured invertically extending slots (not shown) in the plates 1411A. The roller137 is tensioned upwardly by torsion springs 143. Two torsion springs143 are provided with one secured to each of the plates 14A by screws 114 which thread through a helical portion of the spring intermediate itsends intothe plate 141111.. One end of each spring 1 13 bears againstthe axle of shaft 1137' while the other engages an edge of channel 11611 thereby exerting an upward force on the roller 137 tensioning itstoward and into normal engagement with the rings 136..

Positioned within the upwardly extending channel member 1113 is a guide150. This guide'extends longitudinally of the channel member 1118 alength at least coextensive with the length of travel of the cuttingelement hereafter described. The ends of the guide 15d,

however, terminate within the channel member 108 a spaceddistance fromthe end walls 105 with the space thereby defined within the channelmember 108 sufficient toreceive front wall retaining elements 153 and154 (FIG. 11)) hereafter described in greater detail. The bottom surfaceof the guide 151) which is coextensive with the bottom edge of thechannel member 108 is formed with a slot 151 its entire length. The slot151 is designed to guide and receive the cutting element hereafterdescribed.

The guide bar 118 which is secured within the longitudinally downwardlyextending channel 116 is formed with forward and rear walls 118A and1188. These walls are interconnected at their lower end by a bightportion 118C. The upper end of wall 1183 is formed with a forwardlyextending lip 118D and the upper end of wall 118A is formed with anintegral horizontal wall 118E. The horizontal wall 11811 and lip 118Dare aligned in the same plane and are spaced apart to de fine alongitudinally extending slot 1181* with the slot 1181 longitudinallyaligned with the slot 151. The guide bar 118 is secured within thechannel 116 by the interengagement of the inwardly flared lips on theupper edge 114 and the shoulder section 118C at the bottom of the bar118.

The guide bar 118 is tensioned upwardly in the channel 116 by a pair ofhelical springs 155 (FIG. 7 and FIG. 10). The lower ends of thesesprings 155 rest on the bight 1163 while the upper ends engage the lowersurface of the bight 1 18C. The springs 155 may be positioned againstlateral movement by any suitable means as, for example, by a pin securedat its bottom end to the bight 1168 and extending upwardly through thecenter of the helical spring 155 and aligned with a hole in the bight 118C. Alternately bosses or buttons such as illustrated in FIG. 77 orFIG. 10 may be utilized.

The front wall retaining elements 153 and 154 are secured respectivelyat the left and right ends of the guide bar 118 as viewed in FIG. 10.These front wall retaining elements may be substantially identical inconfiguration. They provide in cross section, (as illustrated in FIG. 7)a front wall 15311., a rear wall 153% and an interconnecting bight1531C. A rearwardly and downwardly extending lip 1531) engages theforwardly extending lip 1 18D. Retaining element 154 may have the crosssection described along its entire length. Preferably, however,retaining element 153 has the cross section described extending from itsleft end to the dotted line 156, as illustrated in FIG. 111. To theright of the dotted line, as illustrated in FIG. 11) at 156, the bight1531: and wall 1538 are cut away to provide room for the cutting elementhereafter described when it is at its extreme left end position, asillustrated in FIG. 10, The retaining elements 153 and 154 movedownwardly when the guide bar 118 is retracted within the channel 116against the tension of springs 155. The upper edges of these retainingelements 153 and 154 may thus be retracted downwardly to a positionbelow the lower edge of lip 1117 thus permitting the forward wall 166which carries the guide bar 118 to pivot to and from a vertical positionin which the retaining elements 153 and 154 are vertically aligned withthe channel 108. When the retaining elements 153 and 154 are movedupwardly on release of the guide bar 118 they engage and fit within thechannel 1118 on either side of the guide 158 thus locking and retainingthe forward wall 1116 in the vertical position as illustrated in FIG. 7.A spring 159 (FIG. 7) is secured to the end bracket 125 18 by a screwextending through a helical turn in the spring. The forward end of thespring 159 is normally tensioned against the rear of the forward wall106 when it is in its upright position to secure it in a relativelyrigid position.

The cutting element generally illustrated at 163 is positioned withinand is adapted to move longitudinally of the guide bar 118. This cuttingelement includes a carriage 164 and cutting blade 165. The carriage 164is positioned within and is adapted to be moved longitudinally of theguide bar 118 within the channel defined by the forward and rear walls118A and 1 18B. The cutting blade which is carried by the carriage 164projects upwardly through the slot 1 18F and into the slot 151. Thecutting element is best illustrated in FIGS. 12 and 12A. The carriage164 consists essentially of opposed walls 164A and 164B interconnectedby a bight 164C. The walls 164A and 1643 have lateral and heightdimensions such as to substantially occupy the space defined by thewalls 118A and 1 18B and to permit easy sliding of the cutting element163 the length of the guide bar 118. The cutting blade 165 is preferablya circular cutting blade which is mounted on a hub 166 in turn journaledfor rotation on the screw 167 which is threaded through the walls 164Aand 16411 and which is secured to these walls by a nut 168. Preferablythe blade 165 is keyed to rotate with the hub 166. This may be attainedby making the hole in the blade and the corresponding portion of the hubwhich fits through it rectangular in shape. Thus by tightening the screw167 sufficiently the hub 166, and consequently the blade 165, may besecured by frictional interengagement against rotation. It has beenfound that by providing a circular blade which can be adjusted to rotateor not to rotate that different types of materials may be cutsuccessfully. For example, when cutting plastic such as Saran Wrap, itis important that the blade 165 be fixed and not capable of rotatingotherwise the Saran Wrap will bind and will not cut satisfactorily. Onthe other hand it is important to provide a rotating blade when cuttingother materials such, for example, as aluminum. Otherwise the blade willwear and not cut satisfactorily if it is not capable of rotating whenpassing aluminum through the dispenser. The arrangement illustrated inFIGS. 12 and 12A also provides a means for simple replacement of blades165 when they become worn. In order to provide access to the head of thescrew 167 so that the blade 165 may be selectively tightened orloosened, a slot or hole is formed in rear wall 1183 to the left of thebar 118 in axial alignment with the screw 167 when it is in the positionillustrated in FIG. 11).

The cutting element 163 is moved longitudinally in the bar 118 in thedirection of arrow A (FIG. 10) by a string 169. String 169 extendslongitudinally within the guide bar 118. One end of the string 169 isconnected to the carriage 164 at 170 by suitable means. The stringextends around a roller 171 that is axially supported for rotation atthe right end of bar 118 between the walls 118A and 1188. The stringextends downwardly through aperture 118G and bight 11611 to and engagesspool 172. Spool 172 is mounted on the keyed to shaft 173 of motor 174.Motor 174 is suitably secured to the rear surface of cover plate 175(FIG. 8). Cover plate 175 in turn is secured to the rear surface of wall116A and extends longitudinally of and downwardly from this wall 116A.On actuation of the motor 174 from a power source as hereafterdescribed, the spool 172 rotates taking up the string 169 and thuscausing the carthat there is no overfeed, contact 187 which is insulatedfrom 181 engages the contact 185 almost immediately upon release of thearm 181. When the contct 185 engages the contact 181 the terminals 127Aand 127B of the drive motor 127 are shorted without draining the battery190. This shorting effectively acts as a brake and prevents override ofthe rollers 132 and 137.

As the arm 181 continues to move upwardly under the influence of thespring 186 it electrically contacts the contact 184 and closes a circuitthrough the now closed slide switch 180. Motor 174 is thus electricallyconnected to the battery 190 which in turn causes the spool 172 torotate drawing the cutting element 163 lengthwise of the bar 118 in thedirection of arrow A. The length of sheet material which has been fedthrough the aperture 117 is severed by the cutting element 163 when theblade 165 cuts through the length of sheet material which is clampedbetween the upper edge of the bar 1 18 and the channel member 108. Aftercutting element 163 has traversed the width of the sheet material theclamping effect is retained and the severed sheet is held between theguide bar 118 and the channel member 108.

When the ball 188 reaches the lever 189, lever 189 pivots about point189A thus causing the slide switch 180 to move upwardly and open thecircuit to the motor 174 thus turning the motor off. The motor 127 isprvented from overriding by the immediate grounding of its terminals127A and 127B. This grounding is effected when the contact 187 movesalmost immediately into electrical connection with contact 185 on theupward movement of the lever arm 181. The electrical interengagement ofcontacts 185 and 187 effectively shorts the terminals 127A and 127Bwithout drawing power from the battery 190. This acts as a brake andeffectively prevents override of the roller 132.

When the motor 174 is turned off the negator spring assembly 175 returnsthe carriage 164 to its initial position as illustrated in FIG. 10. Thenegator spring assembly 175 should be adjusted so that there is always adegree of tension applied to the carriage 164 in the direction oppositeto the direction of arrow A thus assuring an arrangement in which thestring 169 will always remain relatively taut so as not to jump theroller 171.

As defined herein, container is intended to include means for supportinga roll of material regardless of whether such support also includescovering elements or walls enclosing the roll in whole or in part.

What is claimed is:

l. A dispenser for feeding and severing segments of sheets from a rollof sheet material such as towels or the like comprising,

a cabinet having opposite side walls and longitudinally extending wallsincluding a front wall, means forming an elongated passage at said frontwall, means positioned intermediate said side walls for supporting aroll of sheet material on its axis with the leading edge adapted toproject through said elongated passage,

means pivotally securing said front wall along one edge thereof to oneof said longitudinally extending walls with said passage formed betweensaid front wall and a longitudinally extending wall,

an electric motor means connecting said motor to said roll-supportingmeans for rotating said roll and feeding said sheet through saidpassage,

a cutting element comprising a blade having an upwardly projecting edge,a block supporting said 14 blade, a longitudinally extending guide barsupported at said front wall for guiding said block across saiddispenser,

a lever, means interengaging said lever with said motor and said cuttingelement whereby actuation of said lever causes sequential operation ofsaid motor and said cutting element,

means for actuating said motor in response to movement of said lever inone direction and means for actuation of said cutting element inresponse to movement of said lever in a second direction, and

means for stopping said motor on movement of said .lever from amotor-actuating position in said second direction.

2. A dispenser as set forth in claim 1 wherein said means for actuatingsaid cutting element includes spring means tensioning said block in atransverse direction, means interconnecting said block and lever formoving said block against said spring tension in a direction oppositesaid transverse direction on movement of said lever in said onedirection.

3. A dispenser as set forth in claim 2 wherein said lever is pivotallysecured at one end of said dispenser for vertical movement, said meansinterengaging said lever and motor including switch means positioned tobe engaged by said lever on movement thereof in said one direction.

4. A dispenser as set forth in claim 1 wherein said means connectingsaid motor to said roll includes,

a pair of rolls including a drive roll, means supporting said pair ofrolls in parallel, closely spaced relation with said pair of rollsadapted to engage opposite sides of said leading edge, a gear traininterconnecting said motor and one of said pair of rolls, and

means supporting one of said rolls on said front wall and the other ofsaid rolls to other of said walls.

5. A wall dispenser as set forth in claim 1 having means hinging saidfront wall along a longitudinal edge to one of said other longitudinallyextending walls,

said elongated passage formed between the upper edge of said front walland one longitudinally extending wall and including a longitudinallyextending guide bar having an upwardly open channel formed therein,support means resiliently tension ing said guide bar toward said onelongitudinally extending wall while securing it to said forward wallwhereby said passage is normally constricted,

a drive roll and idler roll means supporting said rolls within saidcabinet with said rolls parallel to one another and to said passage,said means connecting said motor to said roll of sheet materialincluding a gear train havinga gear at one end connected to said motorand a gear at the other end connected to said drive roll, said driveroll adapted to frictionally engage the leading end of said roll ofsheet material,

said cutting element comprising a blade having an upwardly projectingedge, a block supporting said blade and positioned within said channelof said guide bar for movement longitudinally therein,

said means for actuating said cutter comprising spring means tensioningsaid block in a transverse direction, means interconnecting said blockand lever for moving said block against said spring tension in adirection opposite said transverse direction on movement of said leverin one direction, and switch means for actuating said motor positionedto be operatively engaged by said lever on r movement of said lever insaid one direction and disengaged on movement of said lever in adirection opposite to saidlone direction.

6. A dispenser for feeding and severing segments of sheets from a rollof sheet material such as towels or the like comprising,

a cabinet having opposite side walls and longitudinally extending wallsone of which comprises a front wall, said front wall having a fixedportion and a pivotable portion with an elongated passage definedtherebetween, means positioned intermediate said side wallsforsupporting a roll of sheet material on its axis with the leading edgeadapted to project through said elongated passage,

means pivotally securing said pivotable portion of said front wall to asecond of said longitudinally extending walls and said fixed portion ofsaid front wall to a third of said longitudinally extending walls, 7

a cutting element, means supporting said cutting element on said frontwall, means for actuating said cutting element including components atleast in part supported on said front wall.

7. A dispenser as set forth in claim 6 having sheet material engagingmeans, means supporting said sheet material engaging means in saidelongated passage for resiliently engaging severed segments of saidsheet whereby severed segments of said sheet may be supported at one endin said cabinet.

8. A dispenser for dispensing and segmenting sheets from a roll ofmaterial comprising,

a container for said roll,

means defining an elongated aperture through which the leading edge ofsaid roll may be fed,

means for unrolling said roll and feeding variable lengths thereofthrough said aperture,

means for severing the lengths of said roll including a rotatable blade,

carriage means supporting said rotatable blade and meansforming anelongated channel parallel to said aperture for guiding said carriagemeans as said blade is cutting,

and means for selectively locking said rotatable blade in said carriagewhereby said blade may be secured against rotation when said carriage isdrawn lengthwise of said aperture.

9. A dispenser as set forth in claim 8 wherein said blade is removablysecured to said carriage.

10. A dispenser as set forth in claim 8 comprising means for opening andclosing said aperture.

11. A dispenser as set forth in claim 10', wherein said means forming anelongated channel forms at least in part said means for opening andclosing said aperture and said means for opening and closing saidaperture comprises a guide bar secured to a wall of said container andsaid means for closing said aperture comprises spring means engagingsaid guide bar urging toward a position closing said aperture.

12. A dispenser for dispensing and segmenting sheets from a roll ofmaterial comprising:

a container for said roll,

means defining an elongated aperture through which the leading edge ofsaid roll may be fed,

means for unrolling said roll and feeding variable lengths thereofthrough said aperture,

means of severing the lengths of said roll,

wherein said container has a wall, a guide bar extending lengthwise ofsaid wall and adapted to be moved to close said aperture, said means forsevering comprising a cutting element, means supporting said cuttingelement on said guide bar for movement longitudinallythereof, means forbiasing said bar toward said closed position, means for moving said baragainst said bias to a position in which aid aperture is open, and meansfor sequentially actuating said means for unrolling and said means forsevering.

13. A dispenser as set forth in claim 12 including means forsequentially moving said guide bar against the bias of said means forbiasing before said means for unrolling is actuated and means forallowing said means for biasing to move said bar before said cutttingelement is moved in said longitudinal direction.

14. A dispenser for dispensing and segmenting sheets from a roll ofmaterial comprising:

a container for said roll,

means defining an elongated aperture through which the lending edge ofsaid roll may be fed,

means for unrolling said roll and feeding variable lengths thereofthrough said aperture,

and means for severing the lengths of said roll fed through saidaperture from the roll to form segmented sheets,

wherein said means for unrolling said roll includes a pair of rollers,

means supporting said rollers parallel to one another and adjacent saidaperture for rotation in opposite directions, one of said rollers havingat least one annular segment of greater diameter than the major portionof the roller and having a surface on said annular segment adapted tofrictionally engage sheets passing through said aperture, and coact withthe other of said rollers to pass said sheets through said aperture, I

resilient finger means extending between said rollers and extending awayfrom said one roller whereby sheets passing between said rollers will bedeflected by said fingers,

and means for opening and closing said aperture and wherein said fingersare each secured at one end to a wall of said container and the otherend extends toward said aperture with said other end adapted to bedeflected by said means for opening and closing said aperture.

15. A dispenser as set forth in claim 14 having means for resilientlysupporting said other roller in biased emgagement with said annularsegment.

16. A dispenser for dispensing and segmenting sheets from a roll ofmaterial comprising:

a container for said roll,

means defining an elongated aperture through which the leading edge ofsaid roll may be fed,

means for unrolling said roll and feeding variable lengths thereofthrough said aperture,

said means for unrolling said roll includes a pair of rollers, one ofwhich has at least one annular groove in the surface thereof,

finger means disposed in said groove whereby sheets passing between saidrollers will be deflected by said finger means from said one roller,

means for opening and closing said aperture wherein said finger meansare secured at one end and the other end is adapted to guide said sheetthrough said aperture when said aperture is open,

17' and means for severing the length of said roll fed through saidaperture from the roll to form segmented sheets when said aperture isclosed.

17. A dispenser is set forth in claim 16, having means for resilientlysupporting said other roller in biased engagement with said annularsegment.

18. A dispenser as set forth in claim 16, wherein said finger meansincludes a plurality of fingers each secured at one end to a wall ofsaid container and said one roller has a plurality of grooves formed bya series of longitudinally aligned sleeves coaxially mounted on a shaftat spaced intervals with said fingers arranged one each between adjacentsleeves.

19. A dispenser for dispensing and segmenting sheets from a roll ofmaterial comprising:

a container for said roll,

means defining an elongated aperture through which the leading edge ofsaid roll may be fed,

means for unrolling said roll and feeding variable lengths therofthrough said aperture,

means for severing the lengths of said roll including a moving cuttingelement,

carriage means supporting said cutting element,

means forming an elongated channel parallel to said aperture for guidingsaid carriage means as said cutting element is severing,

and motor means coupled to said carriage means for drawing said carriagein one direction and spring means for moving said carriage means in theopposite direction.

20. A dispenser as set forth in claim 19, wherein said spring meanscomprises a helical spring connected at its outer end to said carriagemeans and a cylindrical member supported at the other said channel aboutwhich said helical spring is wound.

21. A dispenser for dispensing and segmenting sheets from a roll ofmaterial comprising:

18 a container for said roll, means in part including a front wall ofsaid container defining an elongated aperture through which the leadingedge of said roll may be fed,

means for unrolling said roll and feeding variable lengths thereofthrough said aperture,

means for severing the lengths of said roll fed through said aperturefrom the roll to form segmented sheets,

said front wall and said container including an elongated recess havingan arcuate cross-section integral with one and an elongated beadpivotally mated with said recess and integral with the other of saidfront wall and container to form a hinge.

22. A dispenser as set forth in claim 21, wherein said bend is formed ofa segmented portion of a cylinder and wherein said container includesmeans for limiting the movement of said front wall.

23. A dispenser as set forth in claim 6, including means for operativelydisengaging said means for actuating said cutting element when saidpivotale portion of said front wall is open.

24. A dispenser as set forth in claim 18, wherein said means for openingand closing said aperture includes an elongated guide bar, means formoving said guide bar parallel to its longitudinal axis toward a closedposition, lever means for moving said guide bar from said closedposition, said lever means including means for actuating said means forunrolling.

25. A dispenser as set forth in claim 24, including means forming achannel longitudinally in said guide bar, means supporting siad severingmeans for movement lengthwise in said channel and means actuatable bymovement of said lever means for causing movement of said severing meansin said channel.

1. A dispenser for feeding and severing segments of sheets from a rollof sheet material such as towels or the like comprising, a cabinethaving opposite side walls and longitudinally extending walls includinga front wall, means forming an elongated passage at said front wall,means positioned intermediate said side walls for supporting a roll ofsheet material on its axis with the leading edge adapted to projectthrough said elongated passage, means pivotally securing said front wallalong one edge thereof to one of said longitudinally extending wallswith said passage formed between said front wall and a longitudinallyextending wall, an electric motor means connecting said motor to saidrollsupporting means for rotating said roll and feeding said sheetthrough said passage, a cutting eleMent comprising a blade having anupwardly projecting edge, a block supporting said blade, alongitudinally extending guide bar supported at said front wall forguiding said block across said dispenser, a lever, means interengagingsaid lever with said motor and said cutting element whereby actuation ofsaid lever causes sequential operation of said motor and said cuttingelement, means for actuating said motor in response to movement of saidlever in one direction and means for actuation of said cutting elementin response to movement of said lever in a second direction, and meansfor stopping said motor on movement of said lever from a motor-actuatingposition in said second direction.
 2. A dispenser as set forth in claim1 wherein said means for actuating said cutting element includes springmeans tensioning said block in a transverse direction, meansinterconnecting said block and lever for moving said block against saidspring tension in a direction opposite said transverse direction onmovement of said lever in said one direction.
 3. A dispenser as setforth in claim 2 wherein said lever is pivotally secured at one end ofsaid dispenser for vertical movement, said means interengaging saidlever and motor including switch means positioned to be engaged by saidlever on movement thereof in said one direction.
 4. A dispenser as setforth in claim 1 wherein said means connecting said motor to said rollincludes, a pair of rolls including a drive roll, means supporting saidpair of rolls in parallel, closely spaced relation with said pair ofrolls adapted to engage opposite sides of said leading edge, a geartrain interconnecting said motor and one of said pair of rolls, andmeans supporting one of said rolls on said front wall and the other ofsaid rolls to other of said walls.
 5. A wall dispenser as set forth inclaim 1 having means hinging said front wall along a longitudinal edgeto one of said other longitudinally extending walls, said elongatedpassage formed between the upper edge of said front wall and onelongitudinally extending wall and including a longitudinally extendingguide bar having an upwardly open channel formed therein, support meansresiliently tensioning said guide bar toward said one longitudinallyextending wall while securing it to said forward wall whereby saidpassage is normally constricted, a drive roll and idler roll meanssupporting said rolls within said cabinet with said rolls parallel toone another and to said passage, said means connecting said motor tosaid roll of sheet material including a gear train having a gear at oneend connected to said motor and a gear at the other end connected tosaid drive roll, said drive roll adapted to frictionally engage theleading end of said roll of sheet material, said cutting elementcomprising a blade having an upwardly projecting edge, a blocksupporting said blade and positioned within said channel of said guidebar for movement longitudinally therein, said means for actuating saidcutter comprising spring means tensioning said block in a transversedirection, means interconnecting said block and lever for moving saidblock against said spring tension in a direction opposite saidtransverse direction on movement of said lever in one direction, andswitch means for actuating said motor positioned to be operativelyengaged by said lever on movement of said lever in said one directionand disengaged on movement of said lever in a direction opposite to saidone direction.
 6. A dispenser for feeding and severing segments ofsheets from a roll of sheet material such as towels or the likecomprising, a cabinet having opposite side walls and longitudinallyextending walls one of which comprises a front wall, said front wallhaving a fixed portion and a pivotable portion with an elongated passagedefined therebetween, means positioned intermediate said side walls forsupporting a roll of sheet material on its axis with the leading edgeadaptEd to project through said elongated passage, means pivotallysecuring said pivotable portion of said front wall to a second of saidlongitudinally extending walls and said fixed portion of said front wallto a third of said longitudinally extending walls, a cutting element,means supporting said cutting element on said front wall, means foractuating said cutting element including components at least in partsupported on said front wall.
 7. A dispenser as set forth in claim 6having sheet material engaging means, means supporting said sheetmaterial engaging means in said elongated passage for resilientlyengaging severed segments of said sheet whereby severed segments of saidsheet may be supported at one end in said cabinet.
 8. A dispenser fordispensing and segmenting sheets from a roll of material comprising, acontainer for said roll, means defining an elongated aperture throughwhich the leading edge of said roll may be fed, means for unrolling saidroll and feeding variable lengths thereof through said aperture, meansfor severing the lengths of said roll including a rotatable blade,carriage means supporting said rotatable blade and means forming anelongated channel parallel to said aperture for guiding said carriagemeans as said blade is cutting, and means for selectively locking saidrotatable blade in said carriage whereby said blade may be securedagainst rotation when said carriage is drawn lengthwise of saidaperture.
 9. A dispenser as set forth in claim 8 wherein said blade isremovably secured to said carriage.
 10. A dispenser as set forth inclaim 8 comprising means for opening and closing said aperture.
 11. Adispenser as set forth in claim 10, wherein said means forming anelongated channel forms at least in part said means for opening andclosing said aperture and said means for opening and closing saidaperture comprises a guide bar secured to a wall of said container andsaid means for closing said aperture comprises spring means engagingsaid guide bar urging toward a position closing said aperture.
 12. Adispenser for dispensing and segmenting sheets from a roll of materialcomprising: a container for said roll, means defining an elongatedaperture through which the leading edge of said roll may be fed, meansfor unrolling said roll and feeding variable lengths thereof throughsaid aperture, means of severing the lengths of said roll, wherein saidcontainer has a wall, a guide bar extending lengthwise of said wall andadapted to be moved to close said aperture, said means for severingcomprising a cutting element, means supporting said cutting element onsaid guide bar for movement longitudinally thereof, means for biasingsaid bar toward said closed position, means for moving said bar againstsaid bias to a position in which aid aperture is open, and means forsequentially actuating said means for unrolling and said means forsevering.
 13. A dispenser as set forth in claim 12 including means forsequentially moving said guide bar against the bias of said means forbiasing before said means for unrolling is actuated and means forallowing said means for biasing to move said bar before said cutttingelement is moved in said longitudinal direction.
 14. A dispenser fordispensing and segmenting sheets from a roll of material comprising: acontainer for said roll, means defining an elongated aperture throughwhich the lending edge of said roll may be fed, means for unrolling saidroll and feeding variable lengths thereof through said aperture, andmeans for severing the lengths of said roll fed through said aperturefrom the roll to form segmented sheets, wherein said means for unrollingsaid roll includes a pair of rollers, means supporting said rollersparallel to one another and adjacent said aperture for rotation inopposite directions, one of said rollers having at least one annularsegment of greater diameter than the major Portion of the roller andhaving a surface on said annular segment adapted to frictionally engagesheets passing through said aperture, and coact with the other of saidrollers to pass said sheets through said aperture, resilient fingermeans extending between said rollers and extending away from said oneroller whereby sheets passing between said rollers will be deflected bysaid fingers, and means for opening and closing said aperture andwherein said fingers are each secured at one end to a wall of saidcontainer and the other end extends toward said aperture with said otherend adapted to be deflected by said means for opening and closing saidaperture.
 15. A dispenser as set forth in claim 14 having means forresiliently supporting said other roller in biased emgagement with saidannular segment.
 16. A dispenser for dispensing and segmenting sheetsfrom a roll of material comprising: a container for said roll, meansdefining an elongated aperture through which the leading edge of saidroll may be fed, means for unrolling said roll and feeding variablelengths thereof through said aperture, said means for unrolling saidroll includes a pair of rollers, one of which has at least one annulargroove in the surface thereof, finger means disposed in said groovewhereby sheets passing between said rollers will be deflected by saidfinger means from said one roller, means for opening and closing saidaperture wherein said finger means are secured at one end and the otherend is adapted to guide said sheet through said aperture when saidaperture is open, and means for severing the length of said roll fedthrough said aperture from the roll to form segmented sheets when saidaperture is closed.
 17. A dispenser is set forth in claim 16, havingmeans for resiliently supporting said other roller in biased engagementwith said annular segment.
 18. A dispenser as set forth in claim 16,wherein said finger means includes a plurality of fingers each securedat one end to a wall of said container and said one roller has aplurality of grooves formed by a series of longitudinally alignedsleeves coaxially mounted on a shaft at spaced intervals with saidfingers arranged one each between adjacent sleeves.
 19. A dispenser fordispensing and segmenting sheets from a roll of material comprising: acontainer for said roll, means defining an elongated aperture throughwhich the leading edge of said roll may be fed, means for unrolling saidroll and feeding variable lengths therof through said aperture, meansfor severing the lengths of said roll including a moving cuttingelement, carriage means supporting said cutting element, means formingan elongated channel parallel to said aperture for guiding said carriagemeans as said cutting element is severing, and motor means coupled tosaid carriage means for drawing said carriage in one direction andspring means for moving said carriage means in the opposite direction.20. A dispenser as set forth in claim 19, wherein said spring meanscomprises a helical spring connected at its outer end to said carriagemeans and a cylindrical member supported at the other said channel aboutwhich said helical spring is wound.
 21. A dispenser for dispensing andsegmenting sheets from a roll of material comprising: a container forsaid roll, means in part including a front wall of said containerdefining an elongated aperture through which the leading edge of saidroll may be fed, means for unrolling said roll and feeding variablelengths thereof through said aperture, means for severing the lengths ofsaid roll fed through said aperture from the roll to form segmentedsheets, said front wall and said container including an elongated recesshaving an arcuate cross-section integral with one and an elongated beadpivotally mated with said recess and integral with the other of saidfront wall and container to form a hinge.
 22. A dispenser as seT forthin claim 21, wherein said bend is formed of a segmented portion of acylinder and wherein said container includes means for limiting themovement of said front wall.
 23. A dispenser as set forth in claim 6,including means for operatively disengaging said means for actuatingsaid cutting element when said pivotale portion of said front wall isopen.
 24. A dispenser as set forth in claim 18, wherein said means foropening and closing said aperture includes an elongated guide bar, meansfor moving said guide bar parallel to its longitudinal axis toward aclosed position, lever means for moving said guide bar from said closedposition, said lever means including means for actuating said means forunrolling.
 25. A dispenser as set forth in claim 24, including meansforming a channel longitudinally in said guide bar, means supportingsiad severing means for movement lengthwise in said channel and meansactuatable by movement of said lever means for causing movement of saidsevering means in said channel.